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Archive for April, 2016

Cover crop termination time is here. Below are some recommendations from Ohio State, Purdue and Monsanto regarding best practices for timely and effective burndown of popular cover crop grasses:

General glyphosate (Roundup® PowerMAX) recommendations

Wait for 4-5 days of consecutive >45°F temperatures before spraying. Glyphosate is translocated within the plant, so warmer temperatures will enhance plant uptake.

“Do not substitute citric acid for AMS. They are not the same” (Dan Childs, Monsanto Weed Management TDR).

“…it is always recommended to use ammonium sulfate (AMS) to condition hard water. Using citric acid has become a popular replacement for AMS, but we would warn that citric acid lacks some of the desired characteristics of AMS. Citric acid does condition hard water by binding to magnesium and calcium molecules, but it lacks the ammonium or nitrogen source that helps the glyphosate move efficiently into the target plant and translocate to the grass meristem.” (pg. 4, Purdue Extension Bulletin WS-52-W)

Purdue University recommends a minimum of 1.25 pounds of acid equivalent of glyphosate for annual rye, which equates to 36 ounces of Roundup PowerMAX®. Monsanto recommends 36-44 ounces of Roundup PowerMAX® for annual ryegrass.

Dr. Loux at Ohio State recommends a minimum of 1.5# ae/ac, or 44 oz. /ac of Roundup PowerMAX®, even higher on larger plants or in cold weather.